Slicing and weighing machine



Ju y 4, 1939. J. c. GUALDONI 2,155,047

SLICING AND WEIGHING MACHINE Filed Sept. 7, 1937 Patented duly 4, 193 9g UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,165,047 SLICING AND WEIGHING MACHINEJohn C. Gualdoni, Brentwood, Mo. Application September I, 1937, SerialNo. 162,709

4 Claims. (Cl. 249-62) This invention relates in general to certain new1 and for purposes presently more fully appearand useful improvements inslicing machinery ing. and has for its principal object the provision ofMounted rigidly upon the upwardly presented a slicing machine which willautomatically receive face of the base A, is an electrical motor B con-5 the substance slices and simultaneously weigh nected in anyconventional manner to a suitable 5 them, giving a continuous indicationof the agsource of electric power, the latter not being gregate weightof substance slices delivered by shown. Also mounted rigidly on theupwardly the machine in any one cutting operation. presented face of thebase A, is a conventional My invention also has for an object theproviprotectively housed rotary slicing knife mechalO sion of a slicingmachine which may be set for nism C operatively connected to the driveshaft 1) n any predetermined aggregate weight of substance of the motorB and having a circular or disk-like slices and will automaticallydiscontinue the sliccutting blade 3, a gauge plate D being mounted ingoperations as soon as the predetermined on the base A in upstandingalignment with the weight has been reached, preventing any furthercircular cutting blade 3 for regulating the thickdelivery of substanceslicesabove such predeterness of the substance slices, as well as forpro- 15 mined weight. tecting the user against accident.

My invention has for a further object the pro- Likewise mounted rigidlyon the upwardly prevision of a slicing machine of the type stated sentedface of the base A in suitable juxtaposiwhich is extremely simple andeconomical in contion to the cutting blade 3 and the gauge platestruction, maintenance, and operation costs; and D for receiving thesubstance slices as they are 20 which is otherwise highly emcient andsatisfaccut by the cutting mechanism C, is the weighing tory in theperformance of its intended objects. mechanism E having a flatslice-receiving weigh- And with the above and other objects in view, ingplatform 4 operably mounted for vertically my invention resides in thenovel features of shiitable movement responsive to the weight of 26form, construction, arrangement, and combinathe substance slicesdeposited thereon, and being tion of the several parts presentlydescribed and connected by any suitable weighing system of pointed outin the claims. springs or levers to an indicating hand 5 rotatably Inthe accompanying drawing, mounted on a small shaft or pin 5' forswingable Figure 1 is a perspective view of a slicing mamovement infront of a graduated indicating 30 chine. constructed in accordance withand emscale 6. The indicating hand 51s provided inter- 30 bodying mypresent invention; mediate its ends with an electrical contact pointFigure 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view I connected to aflexible lead wire 8. Also rotatof the slicing machine, partly brokenaway and ably mounted on the small shaft or pin 5' for in section formore detailed illustration of the swingable movement over the indicatingscale 6 weighing and setting mechanism; in a plane spaced from the planeof movement 35 Figure3isafragmentary vertical sectional view of theindicating hand 5, is a setting arm 9 of the weighing and settingmechanism, taken provided at its lower end with an arcuate orapproximately along the line 3-3, Figure 2; segmental rack 10, as bestseen in Figures 2 and 3.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional Journalled in and extendingthrough the side view of the slicing machine, taken approximately wallof the weighing mechanism E, is a setting 40 along the line 4-4, Figure1; knob shaft ll provided at its outwardly extend- Figure 5 is afragmentary view of the slicing ing end with a setting knob H and at itsinmachlne, partly broken away and in section, for wardly extending endwith a pinion i2 arranged more detailed illustration of the carriagelock for operative meshing engagement with the segmechanism; and mentalrack ID of the setting arm 9. The set- 45 Figure 6 is a schematic viewof the wiring diating arm 9 is further provided intermediate its gram ofthe slicing machine. ends'with an electrical contact member [3 con-Referring now more in detail and by reference nected to a flexible leadH. The contact member characters to the drawing, which illustrates a 13is so positioned along the setting arm 9 as to preferred embodiment ofmy invention, A desigcontactingly engage theelectrical contact mem- 5Onates' a flat preferably rectangular base having her 1 of the indicatinghand 5 when the indicatsuitable downwardly presented supporting legs Iing hand 5 and the setting arm 9 are in overand being provided with arectangular opening lying registration, all as best seen in Figures 2 2formed inwardly of and parallel to a lengthand 3 and for purposespresently more fully apwise margin of the base A, as best seen in Figurepeering. 55

Rigidly mounted in the base A and extending transversely across theaperture 2 thereof, is a pair of laterally spaced parallel slide rodsI5. Shiftably mounted on the slide rods l5 for reciprocation past thecutting wheel 3 of the cutting mechanism C, is a substance carrier Fwhich may be of any conventional character and design, although forpurposes of illustration I have shown a substance carrier of theV-shaped manually operable type.

Mounted rigidly on the drive shaft 1) of the motor B interiorly of thehousing of the cutter mechanism C, is a brake drum It provided with anencircling brake band H, which is, in turn, actuated through a suitablelever and link mech- ..anism, as at l8, to the shiftable core IQ of afixed solenoid 28, which is, in turn, rigidly mounted upon the base A.The lever and link mechanism i8 is suitably provided witha tensionspring 2| for normally maintaining the brake band I! and the brakeactuating mechanism out of engagement with the drum I 8, all as bestseen in Figure 4 and for purposes presently more fully appearing.

Pivotally mounted on the under side of the base A adjacent the innerlengthwise margin of the base aperture 2 is a bell crank member 22having a horizontally extending arm 22' for optional engagement with thebase portion of the substance carrier F, the bell crank member being sopositioned on the base A with respect to the cutting knife 3 as toprevent movement of the substance carrier F toward the cutting knife 3for further slice-cutting operation when the bell crank arm 22' is insubstance carrier engaging position. The other bell crank arm 22" isprovided with a pin 23 for disposition in the slot 24 of an actuator bar25. The actuator bar 25 is at its one end rigidly connected to a tensionspring 26 and at its other end is rigidly connected to the shiftablecore bar 21 of a solenoid 28 rigidly mounted on the machine base A. Theactuator bar 25 is further provided with an outwardly presented pin 29for' supporting engagement with one end of a tension spring 38, whichis, in turn, at its other end, mounted on the pin 23 of the bell crankarm 22", all as best seen in Figure 5 and for purposes presently morefully appearing.

Also operatively mounted on the under side of the base A, is a doublepole relay 3! of any conventional design and a toggle member 32 having amanually operable arm 33 extending outwardly beyond a marginal edge ofthe base A for convenient manual operation.

Referring now to the wiring diagram in Figure 6, it will be evident thatthe indicator arm contact member I is connected through the flexiblelead 8 to one side of the secondary winding of a conventionaltransformer G, the primary of the transformer G being connected acrossthe main power lines p, p. The other side of the secondary winding ofthe transformer G is connected to one terminal of the winding on therelay 3|, the other relay winding terminal being connected through theflexible lead M to the setting arm contact point 53. One magnetic poleof the relay 3| is disposed in juxtaposition to the switch bar 34, whichis, in turn, swingably mounted and provided with a preferably integralextension 34 pivotally connected to the inner end of the toggle arm 33,the switch bar 34 being arranged for circuit completing engagement witha switch terminal 35, which is, in turn, connected to one terminal ofthe motor B, the other cutting stroke.

erative juxtaposition to a pivotally mounted switch blade 36, which isarranged for circuit completing engagement with a switch terminal 31 andis connected through the lead 38 to the power line p. The terminal 3'!is connected through the lead 39 to one terminal of the solenoid 20 andalso to one terminal of the solenoid 28, the other terminals of thesolenoids 20 and 28 being each connected directly to the power line p.

In operation, the setting arm 9 is moved to any predetermined positioncorresponding to the particular weight of material desired to be sliced.Since, at this moment, no slices have been as yet delivered onto theplatform 4, the indicating arm will remain at zero and the contact point'I thereof will accordingly be out of engagement with the contact pointl3 of the indicating arm 9. Under these conditions, the circuit throughthe transformer to the winding of the relay 3| will be incomplete andthe relay will accordingly be inoperative. Since the relay isinoperative, the switch blade 36 will also be out of engagement with theterminal 31 and the circuit to the solenoids 28 and 28 will likewise beincomplete. The toggle arm 33 may then be swung or pivoted to bring theswitch blade 34 into operative engagement with the terminal 35, thuscompleting the circuit to the motor B and setting the cutting mechanismin operation. Since the circuit to the solenoids 28 and 28 isincomplete, the motor brake band I! will be disengaged from the motorbrake drum l6 and the carriage locking bell crank member 22 willlikewise be in disengaged position, permitting free movement of thesubstance carrier F. The operator thereupon may reciprocate thesubstance carrier F to and fro past the cutting knife for slicingoperation. As the slices are cut, they will drop of their own weightupon the platform 4 of the weighing mechanism E and cumulatively swingthe indicator hand 5 toward the setting arm 8; As soon as a suflicientnumber of slices have been cut to bring the indicating arm up to thedesired weight, the contact point 7 thereof will be brought intoengagement with the contact point 53 of the setting arm 9, therebycompleting the circuit neously swing the switch blade 34 out ofoperative engagement with the terminal 35 and swing the switch blade 36into operative engagement with the terminal 33, thereby breaking thecircuit to the motor B and completing the circuit to the solenoids 20,28. The solenoids 28 and 28 will each thereupon become energized and thebrake band i! will be moved into braking engagement with the motor brakedrum I6 and the carriage locking bell crank member 22 will be movedupwardly into carriage locking position, as shown in dotted lines inFigure 5. The carriage may then be moved backwardly over the bell crankarm 22, which will swing downwardly against the action of the spring 30,allowing the carrier F to clear, but will then swing upwardly forlatch-like engagement and prevent further movement of the substancecarrier F for a subsequent substance At the same time, by reason or thebraking action of the brake band H, the entire cutting mechanism will bebrought to rest. As soon as the operator removes the substance slicesfrom the platform 4, the indicating hand 5 will swingbackwardly again tozero and the con- :act member 1 thereof will again be moved out ofengagement with the contact member ll of the setting arm 9, whereuponthe relay II will become de-energized and the switch blade 36 will bereleased, breaking the circuits to the solenoids I0, 28, and accordinglyreleasing both the motor braking and carriage locking mechanisms. Theswitch blade 34, however, although released from the relay, willnevertheless be maintained out of engagement with the terminal 35 bymeans of the toggle arm 33 and the machine will be restored to originalinoperative position.

It will be evident that by my invention I have provided a slicingmachine which is extremely unique in its convenience and usefulness inconnection with a variety of commercial uses. For instance, in adelicatessen or butchershop, the clerk in slicing meat, cheese, or thelike may set the machine to the weight desired by the particularcustomer and slice the substance directly onto the receiving platform.As soon as the desired weight has been reached, the machine willautomatically be stopped without cutting other slices, thus eliminatingthe necessity of slicing a certain quantity of the substance byguesswork, removing it to a remote scale or weighing mechanism, and-thencutting a few additional slices provided the desired weight has not beenattained. In addition to this, the present invention prevents thecutting of slices over and beyond the desired weight. Previously if moreof the substance was sliced than the desired amount, the extra sliceswere retained until the next customer came along. In this interim, theslices usually dried out and became unsalable. It will further beevident that the present invention can be with equal facility applied toentirely automatic slicing machines equipped with power driven feedingmechanism, in which event the clerk may set the machine to the weightdesired by the customer, start the machine in operation, and leave it towait on another customer or supply additional needs of the samecustomer, leaving the machine unattended during the slicing operation,since the machine will automatically discontinue slicing operations whenthe desired weight of substance has been sliced.

, It should be understood that changes and modifications in the form,construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of theslicing machine may be made and substituted for those herein shown anddescribed without de parting from the nature and principle of myinvention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is,

1. "In a slicing machine having a substance slicer, an electric motorfor driving the slicer, a

substance carrier, a shiftably mounted platform for receiving thesubstance slices, and limit switch means operatively connected to theplatform for actuation responsive to movement thereof, controlmeans'comprising a toggle switch connected in series with the electricmotor and having a l manually operable armJor throwing the switch intocircuit-closing position, a-relay controlled by the limit switch formoving the switch into circuit-openingposition, brake means operablymounted on the substance slicer for arresting further movement thereof,solenoid-actuated brake-operating means connected to the brake means,and a second switch connected in series with the brake-actuatingsolenoid for selectively completing and breaking the circuit thereto,said i switch being mounted {or actuation by the relay.

2. In a slicing machine having a substance slicer, an electric motor fordriving the slicer, a substance carrier, 9. shiftably mounted platformfor receiving the substance slices, and limit switch means operativelyconnected to the platform for actuation responsive to movement thereof,control means comprising a toggle switch connected in series with theelectric motor and having a manually operable arm for throwing theswitch into circuit-closing position, a relay controlled by the limitswitch for moving the switch into circuit-opening position, brake meansoperably mounted on the substance slicer for arresting further movementthereof, solenoid-actuated brake operatingmeans connected to the brakemeans, and a second switch connected in series with the brake-actuatingsolenoid for selectively completing and breaking the circuit thereto,said switch being adapted for movement into circuitcompleting positionby the relay when the latter is energized and for movement intocircuit-interrupting position when the relay is deenergized.

3. In a slicing machine having a substance slicer, an electric motor fordrivingthe slicer, a substance carrier, a shiftably mounted platform forreceiving the substance slices, and limit switch means operativelyconnected to the platform for actuation responsive to movement thereof,control means comprising a toggle switch connected in series with theelectric motor and having a. manually operable arm for throwing theswitch into circuit-closing position, a relay controlled by the limitswitch for moving the switch into circuit-opening position, a carrierlock operably mounted on the substance carrier for arresting furthermovement thereof, solenoid-actuated operating means connected to thecarrier lock, and a second switch connected in series with thelock-actuating solenoid for selectively completing and breaking thecircuit thereto, said switch being adapted for movement intocircuit-completing position by the relay when the latter is energizedand for movement into circuit-interrupting position when the relay isde-energized.

4. In a slicing machine having a substance slicer, an electric motor fordriving the slicer, a substance carrier, a shiftably mounted platformfor receiving the substance slices, limit switch means operablyconnected to the platform for actuation responsive to movement thereofcontrol means comprising a toggle switch connected in series with theelectric motor and having a manually operable arm for throwing theswitch into circuit-closing position, a relay controlled by the limitswitch for moving the switch into circuit-opening position, brake meansoperably mounted on the substance slicer for arresting further movementthereof, solenoid actuated brake operating means connected to the brakemeans, a carrier lock operably mounted on the substance carrier for,arresting further movement thereof, solenoid-actuated operating meansconnected to the carrier lock, and a second switch connected in serieswith the brake-actuating solenoid and the lock-actuating solenoid forsimultaneously completing and breaking the circuits thereto, said switchbeing adapted for movement into circuit-completing position by the relaywhen the latter is energized and for movement into circuit-interruptingposition when the relay is de-energized.

JOHN C. GUALDONL

